Violet Harrington (Lorraine Roxon Harrington) was born in London, England in 1927. By nineteen she was a Lucy Clayton trained mannequin modelling in many of London’s top fashion houses. In 1949 she married a doctor who later became a consultant psychiatrist. With him she had a daughter and two sons and is grandmother to nine grandchildren. She was involved in charity fund-raising for many causes and was Cultural Chairperson and President of a women’s lodge in Bradford, W. Yorkshire.
In 1979 she left England and with her second husband moved to Auckland, New Zealand. Together they introduced the first sun tanning clinic to New Zealand. This led to the addition of beauty salons and Violet’s own Beauty Therapy Training College. Violet became involved in publicity and advertising and was invited by the editor to write her own regular page on beauty in The NZ Headway Magazine. In 1987 she and her husband retired to Australia, making the Gold Coast their home and becoming Australian citizens. This gave Violet the freedom to satisfy her creative desires as an artist. Violet’s interests are wide and varied and with the encouragement of her late husband, who sadly died in March 2000, she has been able to fulfil much of this creative potential. She is now a published writer, ceramicist, sculptor, and artist. Her original styled ceramics and paintings are in homes in many countries and one of her pieces of sculpture was exhibited at the Gold Coast Art Centre. Her artwork was selected from eighty-two entrants to be part of the Six Women Artists exhibition held at the Albert Shire Five Rivers Gallery in 1997. Violet has been writing for many years.
Her poetry has been broadcast on air in New Zealand and more recently, Somerset, England while her writings have been enjoyed far and wide. With the enthusiasm and encouragement of her late husband, family and friends, a collection of her verses has been now appended to her autobiography. Violet’s style of poetry appeals in particular to the mature woman who is able to relate to much of its content.
